Temperature-regulating system.



E. II. RUCKLE. TEMPERATURE REGULAHNG SYSTEM. APPLICATION FILED III/111125. I9I5.

Patented Feb. 8, 1916.

EDWARD H. BUCKLE,

OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 HUGHES ELECTRIC vHIlA'IEIIbUIar ,COMPANYyOF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

TEMPERATURE-REGULATING SYSTEM.

Specification of Letters Yatent.

Patented Feb. 8, 1916.

Application filed 'March 25, 1915. Serial N0. 16,853.'

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, EDWARD H. BUCKLE, a citizen oftheUnited States, and a resident of Chicago, State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inv Temperature- Regulating Systems,.of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to temperature regulating systems, particularly adaptable for maintaining the temperature constant in supplies the current be regulated,

electrically heated devices such as electrical cook or bake ovens, furnaces, or the like.

It is of course common practice to associate a thermostatic device with an electrical circuit to open thef circuit when the temperature rises above a certainI figure and to rec ose the circuit when the temperature again falls. In such systems however, the

amount of flow that can be controlled is limitedA on account of themore or less delicate organization of the thermostatic mechanism. Y The object of my invention is therefore to provide a system, preferably yelectro-magnetic, which is'primarily controlled by thermostatic mechanism but which will maintain eiicient temperature regulation for any amount of current temperature to be regulated.

In general my improved controlling and regulating system involves a series or chain of electro-magnetic switch devices, one end of whichl is connected with thermostatic mechanism controlled by the temperature to and the other end of which is associated with the electrical circuit which for the heat producing devices. The arrangement of the electromagnetic switch devicesv is such' that each will control the making and breaking of an intermediate circuit through which flows only a proportionate part of the maximum current flow to be delivered to the heat producing devices.

My invention will be clearly understood by reference to the accompanying drawing, the figure of which diagrammatically illustrates an inclosing structure and .my improved system for controlling and regulating the tempera-ture within the structure.

'Referring to the drawing, A represents an inclosing structure such as a. stove, oven, urnace, o r the like. v

in the county of Cook and flow which produces the temperature indicating mechanism are S represents a scale with which an indiperature within the inclosing structure, this arm being pivoted at 2.

T represents the thermostatic device of well known construction involving two plates 3. and 4 of different expansion coeiiicient rigidly riveted together and extending from a support 5, the end of the thermostat structure extending between the circular ends 6 and 7 on indicator arm 1. As the thermostat device bends during changes of temperature the arm l will be moved along the scale to indicate the temperature within the structure A. A contact block 8 is adapted to be set adjacent the scale in the path of the indicating arm 1, and this block and the pivot of arm l form the terminals of a circuit c, the limbs 9 and 10 of this circuit connecting with-the conductors of the main circuit C, which circuit is adapted for connection with the main supply circuit D by .means of a switch 11.

E represents the heating elements within the structure A, which elements are constructed in the usual. manner and comprise resistance wires 7'. These heating elements 'E could be directly included in the circuit c but as the thermostatic mechanism and th more or less delicate construction, the amount of current which can be taken care of will be limited as the arcing between the arm l and contact block 8 could not be efliciently taken care of. I therefore include one or more electro-magnetic circuit controlling devicesbetween the circuit c and the heating elements E. As shown, the electro,- magnet switching device M is associated with the circuit-c, its winding lw being included in limblO of thisl circuit. The core of electro-magnet M has the insulating bar b extending downwardly therefrom and terminating in a contact head which coperi I current flowing and will close circuit @and when the temperature falls below 300 the circuit will be open. When the circuit is open the core z' of electro-magnet M is released and its head i, connects together terminals 12 and 13 to close the circuit c. When the circuitcis closed the core will be raised and circuit c opened, and the windingl w is of such resistance that very little flow will be necessary to eiiect drawing in of the core. In practice the current How necessary will be only a small fraction of an ampere and consequently there will be no harmful arcing between the arm 1 and Contact block 8. With such small current How through its winding the electro-magnet M will of course be incapable of eiiiciently breaking a very heavy current flow circuit, but it will be able `to break a circuit through which say about six or ten amperes i'ow. If this amount of current were sufficient for fthe Vheating elements E, the circuit c could course "be ldirectly connected with suchy elements However, if greater current flow is necessary it is advisable and preferable to introduce another electro-magnetic switch mechanism M', the winding w of which is included in circuit c and whose core z" carries the contact head -z for cooperating with terminal contacts 16 and 17 o the circuit c nedt with the respective sides of the main circuit C.' The winding w of electro-magnet M" would 'be 'designed to accommodate six to ten amperes which would give the electro-magnet su'ilicient power to eiiiciently break the circuit c with considerable more Xtherethrough, say fifty amperes. Ii" this current were sulicient for the heating 'elements E to produce a very high temperaturefin structure A the circuit c' could be directly connected with the heating elements. However, if more current is necessary the circuit c would first control another electro-magnet M by including its winding fw. Thev core i tro-magnet carries the head L for coperating with terminal contacts 2O and 21 of the circuit 0', whose limbs 22 and 23 connect with the main circuit C. vThe 'winding 'wmwould be designed to'e'iiiciently carry the fi y amperes throu h the circuit c and would then be of sucien't strength "to effect eicient 'breaking of circuit 0 through which there could be a large current flow, say live hundred amperes, and Yif this is sufficient current flow for the heating eleinents E, such elements could be included in circuit 0 as shown on the drawing. If more current 'How is desired it `wil1 rbe advisable to interpose anotherelectro-magnetic switch mechanism.

With the above arrangement -the current fflow, no matter 'how `large, 'can be eilicien'tly controlled, each electro-magnetic 'switch mechanism takingec'ient care of a proporwhose limbs 18 and 19 conof this elec-- -riods the proportionate current flow "therethrough tionate part of the current. When the main switch l1 is first closed the temperature in structure A is of course below the point at which contact 8 isset and circuit c will be open and its core released to eiect closure of circuit c and electro-magnet M and the succeeding electro-magnets will be energized and the circuits controlled thereby closed so that the heating elements E will be connected with the supply circuit C. However, as soon as the temperature reaches the point at which contact B is set, lthe indicator arm 1 will engage with circuit e, whereupon core z' is raised and circuit c opened, this causing denergization of the electro-magnet M in this circuit and vin the following circuits and the supply circuit for the hea-ting elements will be opened. As soon, however, as the temperature within structure A falls suiiciently to influence the thermoststic mechanism T to cause separation of the arm 1 and contact 8, 'core z' will again be released and will drop to efiect closure of -circuit Ic and consequently closure of the succeeding circuits c and 0 until the heating elements are` again connected with `the supply circuit. The temperature in the structure A is fthus maintained eiiciently as desired. If it 'to maintain another temperature the contact -bleck 8 is shifted along the scale to the point said contact and will close is desired corresponding to -the desired temperature and t is temperature will then be maintamed.

The winding of electro-magnet M is in I circuit only when arm 1 engages with contact 8, that is, the desired ligure, and 'the windings of electro-magnets M', M, and so on, are in circuit-only when the temperature is below the adjusted for temperature. The 'indicating arm -1 Vwill of course 'iuctua'te at a `ra'tc defpendinguponfthe 4insulation qualities of the structure A. lIfs'uch structure has only thin walls -:and very low heat insulation, cooling will bemore rapid andthe arm 1 will fluctuate more rapidly. However, if the 'walls -of structure A are highly heat insulated the farm 1 will liluctua'te very slowly. None 'of ALthe electro-magnet windings will therefore -'be included continuously in circuit during use ofthe structure A and the electro-magnetic devices 'will not suffer from their pe- :df inclusion in circuit on account of and the proportionate amount of work required by them :to 'break their respective circuits. The Ielectro-ilnag'nets are designed so that 'they will efficiently carry their current load :without -heating and so that they will have su'ihcient power to rapidly and -eiiciently break the next circuit without dangerous arcing. TBy providing a sufiicient number of electro-magnetic devices a very when 'the temperature is at f A of electro-magnetic `supply circuit taken care of and the temperature accurately and eiiiciently regulated and maintained in the structure.

I do not desire to be limited to the exact' constructions and arrangements shown and described as modifications are no doubt possible which would still come within the scope of the invention.

I claim as follows: v 1. In combination, a main circuit, a series of relays each connected by an energizing circuit with said main circuit, each` relay of the series except the last controlling the energizing circuit of the next relay, .a current controlled by the last relay of the series, a thermostat device controlling the circuit of the irst relay of the series, the current carrying capacity of the energizing circuits from the first to the last progres-` sively increasing. l

2. In combination, a main circuit, a series switch devices each having an energizing circuit connected with said main circuit, each switch `device except the last controlling the energizing circuit of the lnext device of the series, a current Supply circuit connected with the main circuit and controlled by said last switch device, a ther- 'mostat device and a switch operated by said thermostat device to control the energizing circuit of the first electro-,magnetic switch device of the series, the energizing circuits of the other -electro-magnetic switch devices being opened when the energizing circuit of the first is closed.v v

3. In combination, a. main circuit, a series of relays each connected by an ener izing circuitnwith said main circuit, each re ay of the series except the last controlling the energizing .circuit of the nextrelay, a current supply circuit connected with the main circuitl and controlled by thelast relay, a therv l the first relay -of the series,

mostat device and a switch operated by the thermostat device to control the circuit of the operating power of the relays from the first to the last progressively increasing.

4. In combination, a of relays each connected by an ener 'zing circuit with said main circuit, each re ay of the series except the last controlling the energizing circuit of the next relay, a current supplyv circuit connected with the main circuit and controlled by the last relay, a ther- I-mostat device, and a switch operated by the thermostat device to control the circuit of the first relay of the series, the winding resistance of each relay being less than that of the preceding relay.

5. In combination, a main circuit, a supply circuit or electrical translating devices connected with said main circuit, a mainrelay and an energizing circuit therefor connected with said maincircuit, an electrothermostat device for controllingthe circuit for said main relay, and a plurality of auxiliary relays each having an energizing circuit connected with said main circuit, the energizing circuit of the first auxiliary relay being controlled by the main relay and the energizing circuits for the other auxiliary relays being each controlled by the preceding auxiliary relay, said supply cirmain circuit, a seriescuit being controlled by the last auxihary relay, the auxiliary relay energizing circuits and the supply circuit being open when the main relay-circuit is closed, and closed when the main relay is open.

L In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 22nd day of March, 1915.

EDWARD n. BUCKLE.

Witnesses:

b". S. VAUGHAN, C. J. SCHMIDT. 

